Day 11 of Jim's Recovery

I can't believe how different Dad looks today. I haven't seen him for two days and he looks like Dad again. No more black and blue eyes, in fact you can hardly tell he fractured his skull. His face is not so drawn and strained. All his tubes are removed from his face so no more awful tape or nose bleeds. The only thing on Dad's face now is the breathing mask. Plus, today the nurses shaved Dad and gave him a bath so he looks and smells great! But, it is Dad's eyes that are the most amazing! I wanted to cry as I walked in the room and saw how bright and open Dad's eyes were. He was looking around and raised his eyebrows as we walked in. The last time I saw Dad he still had the foggy eyes. I am on my knees with gratitude for all the powers that be and for Dad's strength and determination.

When we walked in the room Mom spoke to Dad first and asked if he knew who she was. He nodded his head yes and you could tell by the look in his eyes that he meant it! Then I went up to Dad and asked if he knew who I was. He shook his head yes but I could see the confusion in his eyes. Now, I don't feel too bad because today was a bad hair day and I was wearing my hat and eyeglasses. So I went and pulled down all the pics of me around the room. I took them to Dad and pointed to myself then the picture. I think Dad got what I was trying to say, but still was having trouble remembering. It was funny because throughout our stay because I would catch Dad looking at me but as soon as I meet his eyes he would look away. I don't know if this is because he was embarrassed he didn't know me or because he just didn't want me to catch him staring.

Mike was there and Dad definitely recognized Mike. Erin came later and I believe Dad recognized her also. Yesterday, Erin asked Dad if he knew who she was and he nodded yes. Then (the stinker Erin is) she said "I'm Diane" and Dad shook his head yes! So we still have a long ways to go before Dad can remember everything but I will never doubt again.

At one point Mike, Erin, Mom, and I were standing around the bed talking to Dad and he was trying to mumble something. He kept trying and we finally heard him mumble "I'm Sorry!" My heart was broken, here he is trying to get a grasp on life again and he is worried about us. I knew Dad would start doing that as soon as he came around. It's just like Dad to have to be the strong guy, always.

We were also there to cheer and watch Dad do some physical therapy. The physical therapist had Dad sit on the side of the bed and try to hold himself up. At first he had a hard time, albeit he had just been given a dose of heavy pain relievers, but eventually he was able to hold himself up. Dad tends to lean to the right, this is the side that he has extreme difficulty with. He won't use his right hand or his right foot. Even if he tried I don't think the brain is connecting yet to move that side. His left side is much stronger but Dad still needs help in relearning basic movements. The physical therapist asked Dad to raise up his left hand and to give the PT a high five. It took awhile before Dad could understand what the PT was asking, but then finally Dad lifted up his hand and gave the PT a high five! After that he repeated it three more times. This was incredibly awesome to watch. It made me hurt just to watch his brain and muscles struggle to reconnect and work together as a team.

Then the PT had Dad lean down on his elbow. Can you imagine how hard it would be to hold your body weight up by your forearm when you have hardly any muscle strength? Crazy, but he did it. We had a funny moment because he looked over at Erin and she gave him this cheesy smile and he cheesy smiled right back.

It was fun to just sit back and observe Dad. Some of the things he did that I thought were amazing were just some of his idiosyncrasies, like the way that he scratched his nose, or the way he rubbed his cheek, or the scrunched face he would get when he would say no. All these were so fabulous to see. At one point during physical therapy the PT was moving his right leg, which is incredibly sorry, Dad said "Owy Owy Owy," such a Dad phrase.

We did ask Dad if he wanted visitors and he did say "No". I think Dad is really embarrassed to have his friends see him this way. But the doctors feel that it is best if he has friends come so that it may stimulate his brain. I felt awful again when I saw his worried face. You could just see behind his eyes the embarrassment he felt. So we will just start small because this is such an important part to his recovery.

I can't wait to go back to see Dad tomorrow. I don't want to miss one day, and by golly he will remember me (I'm his favorite daughter after all, right Ebs?) Hee hee, Love you sis!

P.S. Mom wanted me to thank whoever it was that dropped off the delicious chicken soup today. She was in the tub and obviously could not make it to the door! She wanted me to let you know so that whoever left the soup knows she was not trying to avoid answering!